Chapter 539: Comparing Family Backgrounds? Do You Know Who My Father Is?

Chapter 539: Comparing Family Backgrounds? Do You Know Who My Father Is?

The Procuratorate Family Compound.

Today was the day their daughter was bringing her boyfriend home, and Shen Mother took it very seriously. She went out early in the morning to buy a large amount of ingredients, preparing to cook a sumptuous meal to entertain her daughter's boyfriend.

Anyone who has cooked knows that even with help, it takes at least two hours to prepare a decent meal, so after buying the ingredients, Shen Mother immediately got to work.

Shen Baoshan, who usually slept until around ten in the morning when he had nothing to do, was also woken up early by his mother to help with the preparations.

Shen Father went to work to handle some matters and returned around half past ten.

As for Shen Xianglan, after breakfast, she was sent by her mother to pick up her boyfriend.

Shen Baoshan helped with picking vegetables, washing, cutting, peeling garlic, and slicing ginger. Once everything was ready, he came out to the living room to have tea with his father.

Shen Father said earnestly, "Baoshan, your sister is now dating, and you should also settle down and find a partner. Do you understand?"

Shen Baoshan nodded and said, "Dad, I understand. It's not that I don't want to find a partner; it's just that I haven't met the right one yet, so that's why it's been delayed."

Shen Father said, "In any case, you should hurry. If you can't find the right one, have your mother help you set up some meetings. The more girls you meet, the more likely you'll find a suitable one."

Shen Baoshan shook his head and said, "I'd rather find someone on my own than have Mom set me up."

Shen Father took a sip of tea and said, "That's up to you. You understand the underlying principles, so I won't say more."

Shen Baoshan changed the subject and said, "Dad, I did some research these past two days. Xianglan's boyfriend is indeed one of the most famous writers in the online literature world. His current work is called 'Devouring the Stars.' I studied it, and he has received over two to three million yuan in reader donations. He's really impressive."

Shen Father was surprised and said, "Readers can donate to writers?"

Shen Baoshan explained, "This is a feature on novel websites. When readers like a particular novel, they can support the author by donating money, in addition to voting. The donations can be very flexible. Those with average means can donate a few dozen yuan, while those with more means can donate tens of thousands. With many people donating, it can add up to a significant amount of money."

Shen Father was quite impressed and said, "Xianglan's boyfriend's work has received over two to three million yuan in donations. How good must his writing be?"

Shen Baoshan said, "I've read some of it over the past two days, and it's indeed very impressive. The world he creates is vast, with extraordinary imagination. No wonder Xianglan, who has such high standards, likes him. He's truly exceptional."

Shen Father couldn't help but praise, "They say that in any profession, there are outstanding individuals. This is really true. Xianglan's boyfriend was making millions of yuan a year while still in college. There are very few people in the world who can achieve that."

Whether in the present or the future, the most direct way to measure a person's ability is by their earning power.

As long as you can make money, you are the boss.

If you can't make money, no matter how much you talk, you're still a failure.

Xianglan's boyfriend, at such a young age, can earn millions of yuan a year through his own talent and hard work. That is truly excellent.

...

On the other side, Dongzi was driving, following his girlfriend's directions all the way to the Procuratorate entrance.

Dongzi was surprised and said, "Xianglan, your father works at the Procuratorate?"

Shen Xianglan gave him a glare and warned, "Don't call him anything casually!"

Dongzi laughed and said, "Don't worry, I'm not stupid. We can't just drive in here, right?"

Shen Xianglan said, "It's fine, just drive in. I'll talk to the guard."

"Looks like your father is a leader here!"

Shen Xianglan glanced at him and laughed, "Scared?"

Dongzi puffed out his chest and said, "I, Dongzi, earn a living through writing and pay my taxes to the state. As the saying goes, if you have a clear conscience, you have nothing to fear. What do I have to be afraid of? Even if he's a leader at the Procuratorate, he has no right to arrest me, right?"

Shen Xianglan pointed the way and joked, "You took his daughter away. Do you think he has the right to arrest you?"

Dongzi shook his head repeatedly and said seriously, "Don't misunderstand me. I didn't take his daughter away. I just want to have her name on the same household registration as mine."

Shen Xianglan chuckled, "Alright, you can tell him that."

Dongzi laughed, "Sure, I'll tell him..."

As they chatted and laughed, they finally arrived at the family compound.

...

Zou Weijie was known for his petty mind. When he received Shen Baoshan's call and learned that he and Shen Xianglan were no longer a possibility, he couldn't afford to get physical, lest he be caught and suffer the consequences.

However, he couldn't just let it go.

So, over the past two days, he had been preparing. He found out from Shen Baoshan that today was the first day the "little punk" would visit the family.

Zou Weijie's method of revenge was simple: he would also visit the family with gifts when the "little punk" came.

The gifts he prepared were carefully chosen and very expensive. Zou Weijie knew that no matter how expensive the gifts were, the Shen family would not accept them. His goal was to outdo the "little punk" with his gifts, to subtly put him in his place, even if he couldn't ruin his relationship with Shen Xianglan.

After all, that little punk was visiting as Shen Xianglan's boyfriend. If the gifts he prepared were worse than those of a casual visitor, it would be embarrassing no matter the reason.

Of course, the gifts were just the first step. There were still the second and third steps to follow!

In short, Zou Weijie's goal was simple: he wanted to make that little punk miserable. He had stolen his woman and dared to insult him; he had to pay a price.

...

At 10:45 AM, Shen Baoshan and his father, who were sitting in the living room drinking tea, heard a knock on the door.

Shen Baoshan immediately got up to open it.

"Lanlan!"

Shen Xianglan immediately introduced him, "Dongzi, this is my brother, you met him the other day."

Dongzi quickly greeted, "Brother Shan!"

"Dongzi, please come in."

Shen Baoshan politely greeted him and then took the gifts from Dongzi's hands.

For his first visit, Dongzi had followed his grandfather's advice and, in addition to bringing famous cigarettes, tea, and alcohol, he had also prepared gifts for Shen Father, Shen Mother, and Shen Baoshan.

After entering, Shen Xianglan introduced him to her parents, "Dad, Mom, this is Dongzi."

Dongzi followed with a greeting, "Uncle, Aunt, nice to meet you."

"Nice to meet you, please sit down."

The formalities that followed are not worth mentioning.

Just as Dongzi had taken his seat and was drinking tea with Shen Father, there was another knock on the door.

Hearing the knock, the Shen family was a bit surprised.

If it were a normal family, it would be common for neighbors or others to knock on the door occasionally, but the Shen family was not a normal family. It was very rare for someone to knock on their door without prior arrangement.

"I'll go open the door."

Shen Baoshan immediately went to the door. When he opened it and saw who was there, he couldn't help but exclaim, "Wei Jie, what are you doing here?"

Zou Weijie greeted with a smile, "Brother Shan."

Shen Baoshan guessed that Zou Weijie had chosen this moment to visit for a reason, undoubtedly targeting his sister's boyfriend. Even though he guessed this, he couldn't turn him away. He just gave him a deep look and then smiled, "Come in quickly."

Zou Weijie didn't hesitate, handing his gifts to Shen Baoshan and walking straight in.

He immediately saw Shen Father, Shen Mother, Shen Xianglan, and Dongzi sitting in the living room. Zou Weijie greeted, "Uncle Shen, Aunt Zhang, I've been wanting to visit for the past two years but couldn't due to various reasons. I came unannounced today, and I hope you can forgive the disturbance."

Shen Father, who had been in the political arena for over three decades, was not an ordinary person. Zou Weijie's timing was quite obvious.

However, one does not refuse a smiling face. No matter the purpose, someone bringing gifts couldn't be directly turned away.

So, Shen Father smiled and invited him in, "Little Zou, come have a cup of tea."

"Thank you, Uncle Shen."

Zou Weijie smiled and sat down on the empty sofa, then looked at Dongzi with a forced smile, "Bro, we meet again!"

Dongzi wasn't stupid and understood that this guy was probably here for him. However, he wasn't afraid and calmly responded, "Yeah, quite a coincidence, meeting again!"

Shen Xianglan frowned, "Wei Jie, why are you here?"

Shen Mother reminded her, "Lanlan, don't be rude."

Zou Weijie cursed inwardly but smiled and said, "Lanlan, don't misunderstand. I came to visit Uncle and Aunt today."

At that moment, Shen Baoshan had already brought Zou Weijie's gifts over.

Zou Weijie said, "Uncle Shen, recently my grandfather gave me a painting. However, my appreciation level is limited, and I can't understand it at all. To prevent a pearl from being buried, I want to gift this painting to Uncle Shen. I hope you like it."

Shen Father, of course, couldn't accept the gift and immediately refused, "Little Zou, thank you for your kindness, but I can't accept this painting. Please take it back with you later."

"Uncle Shen, I'm not joking. I can't understand this painting at all; it looks like a child's doodle. If it were given to me by someone else, I would think they were joking with me. This painting has no value to me."

As he spoke, Zou Weijie took the painting from Shen Baoshan's hands and opened it.

The painting, which he described as a child's doodle, was now visible to everyone.

[1999, Beijing Hanhai Autumn Auction, this painting titled 'Bird' was sold for 250,000 RMB]



Seeing the painting, Shen Baoshan's lips twitched, and he asked, "Wei Jie, are you sure your grandfather wasn't joking with you?"

Zou Weijie said, "My grandfather wouldn't joke about something like this. He bought this painting from a collector, and I've heard that many 'experts' have given it high praise. I just can't appreciate it, so I thought of gifting it to Uncle Shen in the hopes that you might like it."

Shen Father shook his head and said, "I appreciate your kindness, but I don't understand paintings or calligraphy either, so I can't appreciate it."

Zou Weijie turned to Shen Xianglan and asked, "Lanlan, you're a top student at Peking University. Your artistic appreciation must be better than ours. Can you tell us what's so good about this painting?"

Shen Xianglan shook her head and said, "I don't understand this kind of art either. And I've already told you before, I prefer you to call me by my full name. Thank you!"

Zou Weijie didn't really care if anyone could appreciate the painting. As he put it away, he sighed, "It seems this kind of art is beyond our understanding. My grandfather really should have thought twice before spending so much money on something like this. It's a waste of money!"

Shen Baoshan was actually quite curious, so he asked, "Wei Jie, how much did your grandfather pay for this painting?"

Zou Weijie was delighted by the question. He feared that no one would play along, and he would have to fake it on his own, which wouldn't be as smooth. With Shen Baoshan's question, he smoothly continued, "He said he paid 300,000 yuan. That's enough to buy a decent car. Spending it on something like this is really not worth it at all!"

Everyone was slightly surprised by the price. A 300,000 yuan painting wasn't unusual; some famous works could sell for hundreds of millions at auctions. However, the painting in front of them truly challenged their understanding. A painting like this worth 300,000 yuan was indeed too absurd.

Shen Baoshan couldn't help but swear, "Damn, the world of art is truly incomprehensible."

After his act, Zou Weijie turned to Dongzi with a smile and asked straightforwardly, "Brother, I wonder what gifts you brought for Uncle and Aunt?"

Dongzi finally understood what this guy was up to. He glanced at him and said, "Young Master Zou, I don't think it's necessary to tell you what gifts I brought for Uncle and Aunt, right?"

Zou Weijie, after putting away the painting, smiled and said, "Alright, I apologize for being presumptuous. We can consider it a case of 'no enemies without a fight.' You know I've always liked Lan... Shen Xianglan, but she chose you. This proves you must be better than me. I wonder what your parents do?"

Dongzi calmly replied, "My parents run a supermarket."

Hearing this, Zou Weijie was thrilled. He naturally didn't think the supermarket was a giant chain like Yongjia. No one would think that way. He pretended to be concerned and said, "Brother, many supermarkets seem to be doing well, but with increasing competition, most only make a small profit. Can you really provide for Xianglan with such conditions? While it might sound crass, a marriage without financial security is hard to be happy in.

To put it bluntly, can you afford to buy a house in Shanghai? Can you afford a car? You can't expect to marry Xianglan and then live off her, can you? I would look down on you if that were the case."

Hearing Zou Weijie's insinuations, Shen Mother quickly intervened, "Little Zou, Dongzi's family background may not be as good as yours, but he is very capable. He earns several million yuan a year through his talent and can easily afford a house and a car in Shanghai."

Shen Xianglan was even more direct, "Zou Weijie, you live a wealthy life because of your family, while my boyfriend can live a wealthy life through his own efforts. Do you understand the difference?"

Zou Weijie's eyebrows furrowed slightly, clearly surprised by this news. He couldn't help but look at Shen Baoshan.

Shen Baoshan understood his meaning and nodded, "Dongzi is indeed very capable. Earning several million yuan a year is no problem for him."

Zou Weijie was now in a difficult position. He had come to make things uncomfortable for this "little punk," and Shen Baoshan had clearly told him that this guy had no family background. This had just been confirmed, but now the Shen family was telling him that this "little punk" could earn several million yuan a year?

At his age, earning several million yuan a year without family support?

That's just too ridiculous!

Zou Weijie's first reaction was disbelief, but since Shen Mother, Shen Xianglan, and Shen Baoshan had all said it, he had to believe them. After all, the Shen family had no reason to lie about this to him.

Although he believed it, Zou Weijie was still not entirely convinced. He asked, "Brother, what do you do?"

Dongzi didn't want this guy to continue making things uncomfortable, so he cut to the chase, "Young Master Zou, I understand your intentions today. I'm not afraid to tell you that you can't compare to me. Xianglan chose me for a reason. Whether it's personal ability or family background, you are far inferior to me."

Hearing this, Zou Weijie couldn't help but sneer, "Brother, let's put personal ability aside for now. How can you compare in terms of family background? With your parents running a supermarket? What a joke. Do you know who my father is?"

...

(End of Chapter)

Chapter end